Sunday, 28 January 2018

A nine-year-old boy is facing a charge of culpable homicide after he
accidentally hit his four-year-old neighbour with an axe on the head
resulting in his death.Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Philisani
Ndebele said the boy who could not be named for ethical reasons was at
the top of a tree cutting off branches when he threw an axe to the
ground and it hit the four-year-old boy.He said the incident occurred on Sunday last week around 1pm in
Kwidze area in Gwanda and the four-year-old died the following day at
his home.“There is a four-year-old boy who died after he was accidentally hit
by a nine-year-old boy with an axe on the head. The boys were collecting
firewood and the nine-year-old boy was on top of the tree chopping off
some branches.“When he was done he threw the axe to the ground in order to get down
from the tree. In the process he hit his four-year-old neighbour who
was standing under the tree and he sustained head injuries.“The boy is facing a culpable homicide charge,” he said.

Insp Ndebele said the guardian of the four-year-old boy nursed him at
home and did not take him to hospital following the incident. He said
the boy’s condition worsened overnight and he died on Monday morning
before he could be taken to hospital.He urged parents to seek medical help when children got injured in order to avoid loss of life.“It’s important for parents to seek medical help immediately when
their children are injured because some of them can suffer from internal
injuries or internal bleeding which can lead to death.“In this case this boy could have lived if he was taken to hospital
soon after the incident occurred but instead his guardian decided to
keep him at home.“We would also like to urge parents to monitor children when they are using dangerous tools,” said Insp Ndebele.Mr Nkosana Sibanda who is the headman’s secretary said the
four-year-old boy was staying at home with his grandparents who revealed
that they had overlooked the need to take him to hospital as they
thought he had sustained minor injuries.He said the boy was set to be buried today as relatives were still waiting for his parents who work in South Africa.

He described the incident as a tragic one which had saddened the
community. Mr Sibanda said the nine-year-old is a Grade Three pupil at a
local school while the now deceased was an ECD pupil at the same
school.Sunday News